Dancy Poster - 2009 Physics Education Research Conference

P d g gi l Practices Pedagogical P ti off Ph Physics y i Faculty F lty in i the th USA Melissa H. H †

The last 30 years has seen the development and dissemination of many Research Research-Based Based I t ti l St Instructional Strategies t i (RBIS) (RBIS). Although Alth h substantial b t ti l ti andd moneyy has time h gone g iinto t developing d l pi g these th RBIS, RBIS, little effort has gone g into understandingg whether typical yp physics instructors use or even know about these products In this poster we describe and present the products. results of a web survey designed to document the d degree to which hi h Physics Ph i Education Ed i Research R h (PER) h iimpacted has p t d the th teaching t hi g off iintroductory t d t y physics. phy i

Research Questions

1 What ggeneral instructional ppractices 1. d physics do h i faculty f lt use?? 2 Why don 2. don’tt physics faculty use more research-based research based instructional strategies?? Methods A web web-based based survey was developed by the authors in consultation with researchers at the American Institute off Ph Physics y i St Statistical ti ti l Research R h Center C t (SRC) ((SRC). ) The Th s r ey consisted of 61 qquestions survey estions and asked abo about:t •Demographic information (years teaching, teaching rank, rank employment status, status gender, gender type of institution, institution etc.) etc ) •Information Information about a particular course the faculty member had taught recently (for example, example calculus or algebra l b bbased, d class l size, i structure t t off labs l b andd recitation, it ti , number b off sections, ti , etc.). t ) •Participant’s •Participant p s knowledge g and use of 24 specific p research based strategies. research-based strategies Please see poster “The The Impact of Physics Education Research on the Teaching of Introductory Quantitative Physics Physics” for more information i f ti about b t the th results lt from f these th qquestions. ti •General General questions q about teachingg goals g and practices practices. The survey was administered in Fall 2008. 2008 The overall response rate was 50.3% resulting in 722 usable bl responses p Institution

Two‐Year  Two Year College 25 8% College 25.8% FFour‐Year  Y C ll College (BA)  (BA) 35 3% 35.3%

Rank

Gender

>10 Semesters  >10 Semesters 65%

TABLE 1: Characteristics of Survey Respondents

200 150 100 50

Goal is “very very important” important

0 0-15% 0 15% 16-30% 16 30% 31-45% 31 45% 46--60% 46 60% 61-75% 61 75% 76-100% 76 100% Percent of class time reported to be spent in “student student activities, questions, and discussion”. discussion .

In thinking about the last time you taught an introductory algebraalgebra or calculus-based calculus based course course, how frequently did you use …

•Top three most used methods are the ones where the instructor is active and students are passive. passive •The most common type of question used on exams are well-defined well defined quantitative problems that often lend themselves to “plug-n-chug “plug p g n chugg”.

4%

Once or O Twice 4%

25

14

Ne er Never Traditional Lecture Students Discuss Ideas in Small Groups Students design experiments/activities Students Stude ts required equ ed to work wo together toget e Instructor solves/discusses qquantitative/mathematical i i / h i l pproblem bl Instructor Instr ctor sol solves/discusses es/disc sses qualitative/conceptual problem Students solve/discuss quantitative/mathematical problem Students St d t solve/discuss l /di qualitative/conceptual lit ti / t l problem bl

6%

16%

For Nearly F N l Every Class 48%

12

19

17

Se eral Times Several

Weekl Weekly

Multiple M lti l Times Ti Every Class 22% 13

19

10

7

1

0

25

10

16

22

15

12

1

2

9

23

43

24

1 12 11

3

8

10

20

18

9

25

15

23

Never Used on Tests

14

45 25 28 18

Used Occasionally Used Frequently on Tests on Tests

2% % 59

6% %

23% %

30

8

““extremely t ly or somewhat satisfied satisfied” with extent goal reached h d

Problem 90% 72% Solving g Conceptual 92 69 Understanding A i d and Attitudes d 51 47 Appreciation TABLE 4: Percentage of faculty indicating importance of goal and satisfaction of goal reached. reached

For the 70% of respondents who said they were interested in using more research research-based based strategies they were asked “What What prevents you f from using i g more off these th strategies?” t t gi ?” TIME Time to learn about and implement changes h Time (not elaborated) LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT/ ACCESS to RBIS Lack of familiarity with many RBIS

63

Whole class voting 22 9 18 TABLE 2: Percentage of faculty reporting use of a particular teaching strategy.

Op Open-ended d d qquantitative tit ti pproblems bl

Other Rank  Oth R k 12 3% 12.3%

www PosterPresentations com www.PosterPresentations.com

•Most of the time, time in most classes, class time is spent classes, p in a passive i llearning i mode. d

Assistant  A i P f Professor  20 8% 20.8%

Full  Full Professor Professor  35 6% 35.6%

POSTER TEMPLATE BY:

•The average g of all answers was 32% with a standard d i ti off 22% deviation

Well-defined We de ed qu quantitative ve pproblems ob e s

Four Year  Four‐Year Associate Associate  College (With College (With  Professor Professor  graduate graduate  24.2% program) 38.9% p g )

•70% 70% report p tb being i g iinterested t t d iin using i g more research based strategies. strategies g •92% report that their department is either very encouraging or somewhat encouraging about efforts to improve instruction. instruction •Faculty F l report goals Faculty l generally ll consistent i with ih research-based h b d strategies. t t gi

250

Lecturer   Lecturer 1 4 Semesters 1‐4 Semesters  Male 83% Male 83% 7% 15% FFemale  l 17%

Why do faculty not use more research research-based based practices? ti ?

In the lecture portion of your introductory course, course please estimate the percentage of class time spent of student activities, activities questions and discussion. discussion ”

Semesters Taught

5‐10  5 10 S Semesters  t 20%

C Charles Henderson* Henderson*

J h Johnson C C. S Smith ith U University University, i it *Western *W Western t Michigan Mi hi University U i it

N mb Nu mberr of of Fa F cu ultty y

Problem

† Dancy y,

Lack of access to RBIS WEAKNESSES OF RBIS Difficult to cover material ((uses too much class time)

22 10 14 19

Used on All Tests 69% 3

22

45

23

10

M l ipl choice Multiple h i qquestions i

34

21

17

29

Conceptual questions

7

22

26

45

Questions that require students to explain their reasoning

16

30

24

30

TABLE 3: 3 Percentage P t g off faculty f lty reporting p ti g use off pparticular ti l types typ off test t t qquestions ti .

Acknowledgements This poster is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. No 0715698. 0715698 We wish to thank Susan White of SRC for her work in developing and administering the web survey as wellll as the th pphysics hy i instructors i t t who h took t k part p t in i the th surveyy.

24 1 24.1 22.4 22 4 31 3.1 80 8.0

Not convinced of benefit R i too much Requires h iinstructor time i to use

66 6.6

Student resistance (real or perceived)

2.1 2 1 07 0.7

Lack of ready-to-use y materials LACK OF MOTIVATION TO ADOPT RBIS ((other h than h TIME)) I don don'tt follow one method, method but adapt pieces i off many tto fit my tteaching hi style style. N hi g Nothing Inertia LACK OF FIT WITH DEPARTMENT OR INSTITUTION C t tto iimplement Cost l t ((e.g., llab b equipment additional staff) equipment, N d tto coordinate Need di t changes h with ith colleagues co eagues Lack of appropriate classroom space/class p scheduling g Cost (not elaborated) Colleagues would not approve

N l problems Novel bl

28.6% %

Cost for students (e.g., (e g books, books clickers) UNCLEAR U l response Unclear

24 2.4

61 6.1 1.9 1 9 12 1.2

40 4.0 38 3.8 37 3.7 2.6 2 6 21 2.1 0.7

4.7 4 7 TABLE 5: Reasons given for not using more researchresearch based strategies. (coded qualitative data)

.

Conclusions •Faculty are aware of research-based research based innovations and willing/motivated to try them them. •Faculty Faculty report non non-supportive supportive work environments. environments •Dissemination Dissemination is often undertaken without a clearly aarticulated tticulated t d cchange ha ge st strategy. t ategy t A model ode d l tthat thatt accounts accou ts t for fo th complexity the pl ity off reall classroom l change h g is i in i needd off development. development